Paraelemental Plane of Ice
The Paraelemental Planes (such as ice) exist at the junction between two primary elemental planes. In the case of Ice, it exists at the junction between Water and Air. Like all primary elemental planes, all Paraelemental Planes are coterminous with the Negative and Positive planes, which means they share the borders with two negative quasiplanes and two positive quasiplanes. Paraelemental Planes are further divided into seven regions-- one core region (located at the very center of the plane) and six border regions. Here they are. Regions *Core Ice: Located at the center of the region, Core Ice consists of one massive, spherical glacier. This place is pretty similar to Core Earth in that it contains numerous tunnels through it, which are in constant change due to plate (or glacial in this case) tectonics. Other conditions of Core Ice also mirror those of Earth, particularly concerning gravity and breathing. Core Ice is the second coldest region in the Paraelementalplane, ironically. There are a couple of locations here-- Bloodmire and some other place I don't recall the name of. Bloodmire is the site of a (literally) frozen bloodbath between frost giants, ice trolls, and snow trolls. The other site is a strange, manufactured cavity containing frozen, perfectly preserved creatures from across the multiverse. In addition, there are many, many Qorrashi genie settlements here, including entire towns and the Qorrashi lord's citadel. Legend has it that the citadel was once located on the Precipice, but when Cryonax started conquering the region with his amassed armies, the Qorrashi lord had the entire thing teleported somewhere into Core Ice to avoid a bloodbath. Glacier dwarf and frost giant settlements can also be found here. Core Ice is the second most heavily inhabited region, as the natives live in this region to avoid Cryonax. *The Precipice: Ironically considered to be the most hospitable region and the coldest region at the same time, the Precipice is the junction between Core Ice and Air. It is situated literally on top of Core Ice, and is covered in mountains and valleys of various sizes. Unlike on Prime Material planes, the air and climate on The Precipice gets warmer as the subject gains altitude, and colder at low elevations. Gravity varies depending on what part of the Precipice you are on. Within a few hundred feet of the highest mountains, gravity is directed towards Core Ice, meaning that it mimics the gravity of most Prime worlds. Once you reach a thousand feet or so beyond the highest mountain peaks of the Precipice, gravity becomes more random and mimics that of Elemental Air. Where this subjective gravity begins, one will notice chunks of ice floating above the Precipice. Some of these reach massive size, large enough to build a settlement on; these gargantuan masses of ice are known as "skybergs", and many are inhabited by Qorrashi. Unlike Core Ice, the whole of the Precipice is not pitch dark-- ambient pale whitish-blue light reaches here from the Boundless Blue (Elemental Air) above. , providing about as much light as a full moon. The Precipice is where most of the action takes place. Cryonax lives here, the Mountain of Ultimate Winter is here, and presumably, Albrathanilar's lair is here somewhere. It's also the location of Ice's only known town, Tiera Minuut. If one is lucky, they may encounter some uncovered Qorrashi genie ruins, long abandoned by the race. *Sea of Frozen Lives: This is where Core Ice meets water. Here, Core Ice literally floats atop of the Elemental Plane of Water. It consists of very cold (hovering at around freezing) water with iceburgs and ice chunks littered throughout. There doesn't appear to be much going on here; it's probably about the third most hospitable region. *Fog of Unyielding Frost: This region meets at the junction between Core Ice and Quasielemental Steam. It consists of a vast expanse of frozen fog and very thick whiteout conditions. Not much action here, though it is the fourth most hospitable region. *Shimmering Drifts: This region meets at the junction between Core Ice and Quasielemental Lightning. This is likely to be the warmest region on Ice, but it's not very hospitable. Towards Core Ice you're likely to just get a lot of static charges, but as you get deeper, the snow and glaciers are likely to be electrically charged, and there will be lightning storms. *The Stinging Storm: This region meets at the junction between Core Ice and Quasielemental Salt. It consists of frozen blizzards of (mostly mundane) salt, with massive wind-carved rock formations of salt mixed with glacial ice towards Core Ice. This place is rather inhospitable, so not much goes on here. *The Freezing Void: This region meets at the junction between Core Ice and Quasielemental Vacuum. For the most part, it is identical to Vacuum except that there is some wind and it's really, really cold. This is the least hospitable region by far, and there are no locations. Temperature The temperature varies by region. Generally, the closer you get to Core Ice, the colder the region gets, although the plane is by far the coldest at the center of the Precipice. Temps where junction regions border with other planes generally start at -50 degrees fahrenheit (-45 degrees celsius). The two exceptions to this rule are the Sea of Frozen Lives region, where the borders between it and water are at a few degrees above freezing (possibly as high as 38-39 degrees fahrenheit/3 degrees celsius) and the Shimmering Drifts, where the borders between it and Quasielemental Lightning are likely to be above freezing and possibly reach temps of up to 40 degrees fahrenheit (around 4 degrees celsius). The temperature at the border between Core Ice and the Precipice, as well as the temperature in much of Core Ice, is close to (but not at) absolute zero. The coldest part of the Paraelemental plane is the Mountain of Ultimate Winter, with temperatures of absolute zero, also known as areas of 'true cold'. This is partially responsible for the horrific supernatural effects of the site (the freezing of emotions, ideas, and even fire). As a general rule, even most natives cannot survive long in areas of 'true cold'. The only known exceptions to this rule are the Immoth, and likely, Cryonax himself. The second coldest site is also at the border between Precipice and Core Ice; Cryonax's Chisled Estate, located at the center of The Precipice, standing at the bottom of a deep valley. It's not an area of 'true cold', but it's close enough that any native who isn't an immoth or Cryonax himself finds it extremely uncomfortable. The warmest site on the Paraelemental plane is the floating town of Tiera Minuut, which thanks to magic, hovers at around or just above freezing, with some spots of the town hovering possibly as high as 45 degrees fahrenheit (7 degrees celsius). ECOLOGY Once believed to be desolate with only ice mephits and ice paraelementals, the Paraelemental Plane of Ice is in fact one of the most populated of the para- or quasi-planes, outdone only by Quasielemental Mineral. The Ecology varies greatly by region, and, while the Precipice and Core Ice are fairly well populated, the other regions are fairly desolate. Here is a rundown of the ecology by region. *Core Ice: The second most populated of the regions, Core Ice is where natives go to escape Cryonax's rule. The fourth most common inhabitants here (after ice paraelementals, ice/cold element creatures *Manual of the Planes or Dragon 347*, and ice mephits) are Qorrashi Genies (Frostburn), with entire hidden towns and the Qorrashi lord's citadel being located here. They often come into conflict with the ice trolls (EN world Creature Catalogue converted monster) and snow trolls (EN world Creature Catalogue converted monster), which are the fifth and sixth most common inhabitants here. They get along even less with the frost giants here, who are more common in Core Ice than on the Precipice, as most don't like being bogged down by Cryonax's laws and mandates. All four races can be found throughout Core Ice, but are most prevalent towards the center of the region and near its borders with the Precipice. Ice Trolls, snow trolls, and frost giants all despise one another and are often at war. Naturally, domesticated winter wolves and worgs can be found with the frost giants. Another common inhabitant is the frost salamander (Monster Manual 2), and most of these are located in Core Ice at its borders with the Sea of Frozen Lives. Immoths (Monster Manual 2) are fairly common at the borders with the Precipice. Glacier dwarves (Frostburn) are also common throughout Core Ice, where they mine for blue ice (also Frostburn). In fact, Glacier dwarves are the most common humanoid race to be found on the paraelemental plane. Two more creatures that live near the borders of the Precipice are the snow weird (Frostburn) and the yeti (also Frostburn). Also present in Core Ice near the borders with the Sea of Frozen Lives are ice weirds (Frostburn) and white puddings (also Frostburn). Ice toads (Frostburn again) can be found throughout the region as well. Another creature that is rather common is the Ice Paraelementite Swarm (Planar Handbook and see below) Many white dragons also make their lairs in the mountains and caverns at the borders between the Precipice and Core Ice, and a few hundred chromium dragons (Dragon Magazine 356) make their lairs here as well. *The Precipice (surface): By far the most populous region, at first glance it appears to be a land of desolate, windswept mountains. However, spend long here, and you're bound to encounter its inhabitants. While most creatures found in Core Ice are also indigenous to the Precipice, many of them are less common to extremely rare. Why? Because they don't aknowledge Cryonax's rule, and unfortunately, he has conquered most of the Precipice now, though his influence over other regions is minimal at best (that is to say, Cryonax has only covered the surface of the Precipice and many of its mountains) The most common inhabitant by far is the ice paraelemental. Just behind it is the ice or cold paraelemental creature (Manual of the Planes or Dragon Magazine 347). A distant third is the ice mephit. These three creatures can be found as solitary creatures, but more commonly, they form a commune of some sort, be it an outpost, a nomadic group, or even a small town, and they tend not to get along well with other creatures (however, an adventurer with decent ranks in diplomacy and a peace offering like say-- some pure element of water or air, might be able to befriend them, or at the very least become tolerated). Many of them serve Cryonax, and the likelihood of this increases the closer you get to the Chisled Estate (located at the very center of the Precipice). Also very common are ice paraelementite swarms (Planar Handbook and see below) Another common inhabitant is the winter wolf and the worg, which can be encountered either as wild packs or domesticated by the frost giants. Frost giants and their outposts can be found here, though nowhere near in the abundance that they can be found in Core Ice. Qorrashi were once very common on the surface of the Precipice, but nearly all of them have long since fled into Core Ice or to the skybergs to escape Cryonax's mandates and the brutality of his armies. Ice toads (Frostburn) can also be found throughout the Precipice, and they'll eat anything they can catch and swallow. White dragons also roam here; their lairs tend to be situated in natural caves in the mountains throughout this region. Since humanoids and normal animals are pretty rare on the Precipice, white dragons have developed a taste for remorhaz and frost worm. Frost giants have also developed a taste for them here, and due to the lack of other animals and magical beasts, are forced to make hide armor out of these creatures (frost giants on Ice usually wear hide or chitin armor). White Dragons are in direct competition with chromium dragons (Dragon 356), who are small in number, but usually get the upper hand on white dragons. Yeti (Frostburn) aren't uncommon in the mountain areas either, though they are known to hunt in the valleys as well. The yeti and very young white dragons tend to love the taste of hoarfox (EN world Creature Catalogue converted monster) and ice lizard (EN world Creature Catalogue converted monster). Snow weirds (Frostburn) can also be found here, as can the Chraal (Monster Manual III) and ice drakes (Draconomicon). Less common encounters include frost salamanders (Monster Manual II), ice monoliths (Dragon 347), and, in the mountains near the border with Core Ice can be found glacier dwarves (Frostburn). Immoth (Monster Manual 2) are extremely rare on the Precipice except on the Mountain of Ultimate Winter where they are common. That sums up all of the more common inhabitants of the Precipice. In addition, there are several very rare creatures in this region. These include icegaunts and entombed (both from Frostburn), the reanimated dead of medium-sized humanoids who died on the Paraelemental plane due to cold. Though extremely rare, some Qorrashi genies are said to live in subterranean tunnels just a few yards below the surface. Such outposts are likely to house only small populations of Qorrashi, and the entrances are probably well-hidden both visually and nosomically by illusions. Other humanoid species exist on Ice as well, though only in small numbers. They include ice gnomes (Frostburn) which tend to live in ice houses, igloos, or most commonly, natural or gnome-made caverns in the mountains towards the border with Air. Unlike glacier dwarves, ice gnomes lack a natural defense against the cold, so they tend not to be found too far into the plane except for the occasional excursion that includes a mage or two. They don't get along well with most of the inhabitants save the ice/cold element animals (Manual of the Planes or Dragon 347). Humans are even rarer on Ice, but they do exist, usually in small, nomadic groups rather than permanent outposts. They tend to be found near the border with Air, as well. Far rarer still are snow elves (Frostburn). Like ice gnomes, they lack a natural defense against cold, but they also don't enjoy living in caverns or tunnels, so those that do exist on the plane usually live in vallies located between mountains close to Air. Actually, snow elves are more common on the skybergs at the border between Air and the Precipice. Though not natives, there are also two transient species which might be found here. One is the Mercane (Manual of the Planes), who trade with the natives primarily for eternal ice and blue ice. The other, rarer still, are crystal dragons (Monster Manual 2). They sometimes come to the Precipice, be it for curiosity, hunting, or some other reason, but rarely venture far into the plane. Silver dragons occasionally planeshift here, but generally don't stay long; usually when they do planeshift here, it is merely to visit Tiera Minuut in a humanoid form. The general lawlessness of the plane is a major turnoff to silver dragons (the same could be said for what all metallic dragons think of the elemental planes). The 2nd most common planewalking species found here aside from the Mercane are marzanna (aka winter hag) sorcerors (Frostburn again). Once in a long while a gelugon might travel to Ice. While the Inner Planes accessory states that 'nilla polar bears and penguins can be found on the precipice, this statement should be ignored, as both require marine surface environments in order to survive (and Ice doesn't supply anything like that.) Another extremely rare visitor to ice are the Midgard Dwarves (Frostburn), natives to Ysgard. *The Precipice (Skybergs): Located just above the highest peaks of the Precipice's mountains are its skybergs, many of which are inhabited. Qorrashi genies are quite abundant on the skybergs floating above the mountains, and in fact, most sizable skybergs are inhabited by at least one small-time Qorrashi ruler. Other skybergs are dominated by the snow elves (Frostburn) *The Sea of Frozen Lives: The third most populated region of ice, this area holds a perilous hazard: the icebergs and ice chunks bobbing throughout. Near Core Ice they begin as a network of water-carved tunnels, but the closer to Water one gets, the more they break up into icebergs, and finally, small chunks of ice. Where they begin to break up, one runs the risk of being smashed between two or more icy masses. Most Ice Weirds (Frostburn) call this place home, along with many aquatic ice/cold-element creatures. In fact, these paraelemental animals (Manual of the Planes or Dragon 347) are the most populous denizen of the region. Ice Paraelementals are also found here, though most stick close to Core Ice since few can swim. Marid (Manual of the Planes) sometimes come here to hunt, and Topaz Dragons (Monster Manual 2) are also native here. Tojanida and Water Grues are found here as well. A few Immoth (Monster Manual 2) can be found here, though most find it too warm and prefer the frigid climes of Core Ice and the Mountain of Ultimate Winter. Once in awhile nereids (Stormwrack) travel here, though most find it much too cold here. Water Elementals, water elemental creatures (Manual of the Planes), water mephits, water gen (Dragon Magazine 315), and water elementite swarms (Planar Handbook) can be found near the borders with Water; they don't venture far into the region for fear of being frozen. *The Shimmering Drifts: Not too many creatures can tolerate this plane. In fact, only those with elemental-protection magic can. I don't believe there are any creatures indigenous to this region. However, excursions of natives from Ice, with the aid of spellcasting races and/or magic items, often lead adventuring parties into the Shimmering Drifts in order to mine something called "Bright Ice". Bright Ice is a type of ice that glows, and looks beautiful if cut as a gem; only problem is that it forever loses its glow if it melts. Mephit and glacier dwarf spell artisians can take a small amount of eternal ice and (via some racial variant of the "shape ice" spell) cover the brightice in a thin coating of the substance, making such gems durable and melt-proof. Such gems tend to be worth every bit as much as the best quality diamonds, and come in a variety of colors (with yellow and green being the most common and the cheapest. Browns and greys are also common, but rarely made into gems. The next most expensive category include the colorless/white and blue varieties, with red being the most expensive and extremely rare.) Once in a long while these gems even end up in the great bazaars on Sigil. Telling Time On the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, the natives mostly use simple, primitive means of telling time. Since most of the natives do not sleep, their units of time tend to be different than those on most Prime worlds. Bear in mind that in addition, to the methods discussed below, the natives (particularly the genies) also possess time-telling devices. The most common device (hourglasses aren't common due to problems with static electricity in many regions) is a coldfire clock-- a variant of the waterclock, an invention of the Qorrashi genies. Most natives however, rely on more primitive, natural means of telling time. On the Precipice, this involves observing the Aurora (sometimes called "Aurora Glacialis" by Planewalkers). The aurora is a strange phenomena somewhat similar to what is known as "northern lights" and "southern lights" on many prime worlds, and appears in the sky (the border between the Precipice and Air). This phenomena adds a small amount of additional light to that caused by the illumination from the Elemental Plane of Air. The patterns and colors of the Aurora follow a predictable pattern that completes its cycle about once every 26 hours. Some folks claim that The Aurora is actually caused by a sheet-like Quasielemental pocket of Radiance that spans most of the border between The Precipice and Elemental Air, but this seems highly unlikely. Most planetologists don't believe it is caused by the same phenomena that creates auroras on Prime worlds. Another method used, particularly in Core Ice (where The Aurora is not visible) is observance of coldfire geysers and vents. Some of them follow a predictable pattern of eruption. In some regions of the Precipice, the blizzards also follow a predictable pattern (though in others they seem entirely random, and in others still, they rage constantly. There are also certain areas where snow never falls, wind never blows, and storms never rage, yet snow and ice accumulate on the ground and atop objects.) Some of the skybergs high above the Precipice's surface have predictable 'tracks' that the wind blows them across. Hazards on Paraelemental Ice I don't think I ever posted this in this thread. The following is a list of hazards found on the plane, their sources, along with some expanded information and new hazards (some converted from or based upon the Inner Planes book) --Avalanche (DMG, Frostburn) (Precipice, border bet. Core Ice and Sea of Frozen Lives) --Blood Snow (Frostburn) --Blood Snow Blizzard (Frostburn) --Buried in Snow (Frostburn) (Precipice, border bet. Core Ice and Sea of Frozen Lives) --Cave-In/Collapse (DMG) --Coldfire (Frostburn) --Cramped Spaces/Tunnels (Forgotten Realms: Underdark, Dungeon Master's Guide II) (Core Ice only) --Crevasse (Frostburn) --Death Hail (Frostburn) (Precipice, Stinging Storm) --Drowning (DMG, Stormwrack) --Ebony Ice (Frostburn) (Stinging Storm, Frigid Void) --Flash Flood (Sandstorm) (Core Ice border w. Sea of Frozen Lives only) --Freezing Fog (Frostburn) --Frostburn damage (Frostburn) --Frost Lichen (Frostburn) (Precipice) --Getting Lost, Frostfell (Frostburn) --Getting Lost, Cavern (FR: Underdark) (the rules will have to be tweaked slightly for getting lost in Core Ice and such. I'll probably post such altered rules at a future date, but for the most part the same rules apply.) --Ghost Tunnels (Dragon 347) (Core Ice) --Howl of the North (Frostburn) (Precipice) (you might not want to encorporate this however, since the native creatures don't have resistance to Sonic damage) --Hypothermia (new condition) (Frostburn, Stormwrack) --Ice Sheet (DMG) --Lightning Pillars (Frostburn) (Shimmering Drafts) --Poor Air (FR: Underdark) (Core Ice) --Quickslush (Frostburn) (border between Core Ice and Sea of Frozen Lives) --Quicksnow (Frostburn) --Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Hail (Frostburn) --Razor Ice & Sleet (Frostburn) --Running Water/Shallow Stream (Dungeon 114, Fantastic Location: Frostfell Rift) (found in the water drainage tunnels of Core Ice near the Sea of Frozen Lives.) --Shiver Sludge (Dragon 347) (Sea of Frozen Lives) --Snowflake Lichen (Frostburn) (Precipice) --Snow Geyser (Frostburn) --Strong Winds (DMG) (Precipice, only) --Suffocation (DMG) --Temperature, Cold (Frostburn; this book also introduces a new rule: temperature bands.) --Thin Ice (Frostburn, Stormwrack) (Core border w. Sea of Frozen Lives, only) --Whispering Wind (Dragon 347) --Whiteout (Frostburn) (Precipice, Shimmering Drafts, Stinging Storm) REPRINT OF FROSTBURN HAZARDS This is a rephrasing of some of the hazards of Paraelemental Ice from Frostburn. I'm not reprinting most the non-supernatural cold hazards since it involves tables/charts. I've added quite a few additional rules to Coldfire, as well. --Coldfire (Su): Coldfire, more commonly known as Coldflow on Air and Water, and Pureflow on Ice, is a swirling, viscous, luminescent, pale bluish-white (note: it's teal in the book) substance -- half liquid, half gas. It is Paraelemental Ice in its purest form. It is extremely dangerous to non-cold creatures, and exposure deals 2d6 points of frostburn damage/rnd of exposure, while total immersion deals 20d6 points of frostburn damage/rnd of exposure. Damage continues for 1d2 rnds after exposure ends, but at half damage. Resistance 10/20 or immunity to cold serves as an immunity to the frostburn damage, but creatures lacking the cold subtype can still drown if immersed in the substance, and still risk catching Coldfire Ruin. --Death Hail: (Su) Hail infused with negative energy. Characters exposed for 10 minutes or more must make a DC 15 Fort save or suffer 1d2 points of Str and Con damage. He must make a new save every additional 10 minutes. The same effect can also manifest as a blizzard or snow. --Disease, Coldfire Ruin: (Su) This supernatural disease is caused by exposure to Coldfire/Coldflow. Anyone coming within 10 feet of a coldfire body becomes susceptible. The victim slowly turns into Coldfire from the inside out. The normal DC is 20, but various circumstances can increase this. The incubation period is 1 day, and inflicts 1d8 Con damage. Failing 2 saves in a row results in permanent ability drain. --Frostburn Damage: (Su) This is a new damage subtype presented in Frostburn. If you're familiar with vile damage from the Book of Vile Darkness, then it functions similarly-- the damage does not heal naturally, and it requires a DC 25 caster level check to heal unless the character is taken to an area with above-freezing temperatures. Otherwise, this type of damage functions like cold damage-- and is cold damage. A word of note: the book states that Control Temperature can be used to raise the temp. band above freezing in the area. However, this does not work on the Paraelemental Plane of Ice without a Spell Key, because the Control Temperature spell is a Cold or Fire subtype spell, depending on whether you are lowering or raising the temperature band, respectively. --Lightning Pillars: (Su) These are monumentous pillars or skybergs of teal ice (2d4×10 feet high and 4d4 feet thick) found in the Crystal Range and Shimmering Drafts-- subregions between Paraelemental Ice and Quasielemental Lightning. Any living creature size Small or larger comes within 40 feet of the monument, it unleashes a Lightning Bolt (as cast by an 8th lv. Sorcerer-- DC 14 Ref for half dmg) from the top of the column. If more than one creature is within range, then a random target is selected. A pillar cannot unleash another bolt until 24 hours have passed, so that it may recharge. Be warned however that in the Crystal Range (subregion closer to Lightning), it requires only half this time, and the lightning bolt is Enhanced. Spotting a Lightning Pillar is easy enough (DC 10 Spot check) but recognizing a pillar that is actually a threat requires a DC 25 Survival or Knowledge (Planes) check. --Snowflake Lichen: (CR 3) A magical plant that mimics snow and can be found growing on 'rocky' surfaces. It leeches heat from nearby organisms-- creatures within 10 feet take 1d6 cold damage per round. Creatures in direct contact with the lichen (that is, in the same square) must make a DC 15 Fort save or take 1 point of Dex damage per round of exposure as their fingers go numb. Characters with protected hands and feet get a +2 circumstance bonus to the save. Unfortunately, Snowflake lichen runs rampant on the Precipice, making it difficult to spot-- a DC 23 Search or Survival check-- DC 20 with Low-Light or Darkvision. Luckily however, it only grows in areas exposed to the ambient light of the Precipice's sky, meaning that characters are safe if they stay within the shadows of mountains. EXPANDED HAZARDS --Razor Ice (Frostburn) (in addition to the description given in Frostburn, Razor Ice can also take a more large crystalline, jagged form. This has the exact same in-game effect, except that creatures who step on it may be affected as per stepping on Spike Stones) --Additional Coldfire rules: The DC is higher depending on the type of exposure. Characters who ingest/swallow one or more gulps of Coldfire take a -2 penalty to their DC against contracting Coldfire Ruin. Characters who aspirate (breathe in) coldfire take a -4 penalty to their DC. Creatures vulnerable to cold damage also take a -4 penalty to their save against contracting Coldfire Ruin. --Temperature Bands In most areas of the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, the temperature band is Unearthly Cold (see Frostburn for details and Inner Planes Resource Index for errata). This works a tad differently on Ice than in the Frostburn rules, as follows: Unprotected characters take 1d6 cold damage/rnd. Characters bundled in winter clothing take 1d6 cold damage/minute (however, this rule is optional since their breathing passageways are still getting exposed). Cold res 10 negates the damage, either way. At the borders between a region and an adjacent plane, the temperature ranges from Severe Cold to Cold. Some regions of Ice are colder than others. Here is the rundown. Core Ice: Unearthly Cold Frigid Void: Unearthly Cold towards Ice half, Extreme Cold towards Vacuum half. Precipice: Unearthly Cold on the surface; Extreme Cold in the high mountains, Severe Cold in the Skyberg region. Sea of Frozen Lives: Cold Shimmering Drafts: Severe Cold Stinging Storm: Extreme Cold OTHER OVERTLY DAMAGING TRAITS These are the overt traits for other subregions of Paraelemental Ice. --Frigid Void: (Ice/Vacuum) Same as Core Ice and the Precipice, but warm clothing does not reduce the damage to 1d6/min. Also, treat the region as a "Low Peak or High Pass" in respect to altitude sickness-- Characters must succeed on a DC 15 Fort save per hour (DC raises by 1 for each check) or become fatigued. Ease of Breath (Frostburn Spell) definitely helps, but offers little relief once the character is already fatigued. --Shimmering Drafts: (Ice/Lightning) Blizzards here are infused with electricity and inflict 2d6 subdual damage/rnd characters are in it. 5 or more points of Electricity Resistance renders a creature immune to such effects. --Stinging Storm: (Ice/Salt) Exposure to snowstorms results in 1d4 points of Desiccation Damage (see Sandstorm for details) NEW HAZARDS --Coldfire Geyser: Eruptions of coldfire sometimes occur on the Paraelemental Plane of Ice. This results in coldfire being violently expelled from a vent in the ice. Eruptions shoot 1d4x10 feet high and their vents typically affect a 20 foot burst, dealing 10d6 points of cold damage (DC 15 reflex save half) to all creatures within the area. More powerful vents up to twice this size have been reported. --Coldfire Volcano (Ice) (Su) "Volcanoes" of coldfire, which erupt intermittently, can be found on the paraelemental plane as well. Some volcanoes possess coldfire lakes within their caldera. Weak spots in the ice near the volcano can cause temporary or permanent coldfire geysers, as described above. Active flow: rivers of coldfire that leave destruction in their wake. Active coldfire flows spilled during an eruption are typically 1d10x100 feet wide and move at a rate of 160ft per round. They otherwise have the same effects as normal coldfire bodies. Coldfire Fog: Coldfire fog results from heavy churning and splashing from a coldfire body, such as "whitewater rapids" or coldfire falls. This hazard has the same effects as fog (vision reduced to 5 ft, etc.), and inflicts 9d6 points of frostburn damage to all air-breathing creatures not immune to cold damage, as the coldfire enters and coats the delicate lining of their lungs. Characters who are exposed to the fog for more than 1 round must make a Fortitude save or contract Coldfire Ruin, but the save is made with a -4 penalty. Creatures who need not breathe or who possess some manner of effective respiratory protection take only 6d6 points of damage and make the standard saving throw against Coldfire Ruin. Coldfire Fog that results from a violent eruption has a width of 1d10x1000 feet and moves at a rate of 100 feet per round, though strong wind effects can increase this speed exponentially. Because the coldfire particles are so light, wind does not easily disperse the cloud (it can only be dispersed into harmlessly diluted particles at the base of the eruption site in the case of volcanoes, and 1 mile away from the point of origin in other circumstances.) --Coldfire Falls: A waterfall of coldfire. The same rules for coldfire fog apply, except that the cloud exists only within 50 feet of a small waterfall (less than 10 feet wide), 150 feet within a medium-size waterfall (less than 20 feet wide), and 400 feet within a large waterfall (20 feet wide or more). Furthermore, the damage and DC penalty is halved at half the fog's maximum range. Characters stupid enough to step under the falls not only take damage as though they were immersed in Coldfire (20d6 frostburn damage), but also take 4d6 points of subdual damage. Creatures immune to cold, indigenous or not, still take the subdual damage. --Thin Ice Crust: Many coldfire streams and lakes run underground, and in some cases, are hidden only by a thin layer of ice, which follows the rules of a hidden crevasse as found in both Frostburn and Stormwrack. If only the character's leg falls in, then use the rules for Coldfire exposure. If the character falls in up to their waist or higher, then use the rules for Coldfire immersion. --True Cold (Ex and Su) In some regions of Ice, temperatures reach such extremes that more than just water and flesh freeze-- thoughts, ideas, and even fire freezes. Being in an area of True Cold has the following effects: 1. Treat the region as Unearthly Cold (see Frostburn for temperature band details), except that non-native subjects (those not INDIGENOUS to the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, such as planewalkers, winter wolves, frost giants, yeti, remorhaz, white dragons, etc.) take an additional 2d6 points of lethal damage. Even with complete immunity to cold (be it natural or magical), non-indigenous natives take 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute. Mere resistance to cold will not nullify any of the damage. 2. Once per hour in a True Cold area, a character must make a DC 15 Will save simply to speak or write. The character must make a separate DC check for each sentence. Failure indicates that his words or ideas have frozen. If this happens, he takes a single point of permanent Int, Wis, or Cha damage, and a tiny crystal materializes at his feet. The character can heal the ability damage simply by moving to a warmer region and melting the crystal against his skin. The character still recovers the ability damage if the crystal thaws on its own, even if he's not in direct contact with or near it. (there are exceptions to this rule-- specially prepared containers and magical or supernatural means can allow other beings to utilize the frozen idea.) Nothing else short of a Wish can restore the lost ability score; not even Heal or Greater Restoration. 3. Any non-magical flames (50% chance of either) either freeze solid (becoming chunks of ice) or turn into accursed "black flame". See the rules for Black Fire below. Known areas of true cold include the Mountain of Ultimate Winter, the lower levels of Cryonax's Chisled Estate, Cryonax's cold aura, and scattered pockets in Core Ice *and a few on the Precipice*. These pockets follow the generals rules for Elemental Pockets as presented in the Manual of the Planes. --Black Flame (Ice) (Su) In areas of true cold, even fire freezes. Non-magical fire is 'converted' with no save. There is a 50% chance it will turn to ice, and a 50% chance it will become "black flame". This is different than the substances by similar names associated with necromancers and Lolth's priesthood. On Ice, Black Flame is a 'fire' that turns black and emits cold, but either little to no light. Magical fires get a saving throw vs a DC of 20 in most instances (exceptions being supernatural effects from creatures, such as Cryonax's cold aura). If it fails, it freezes or becomes Black Flame for as long as it manifests. Magical fire-based items (such as a flaming weapon) who fails their saving throws either freeze or become black flame for 1d4 rounds. Use the chart below to determine what happens. FROZEN FIRE FAILED SAVE EFFECTS D10 1-5: Flame freezes solid, becoming a chunk of mundane or (if the flame was magical) supernatural ice in the shape of the flame at the instant it froze. 6-7: Flame becomes Black Flame; sheds 1d4 cold damage instead of warmth, illumination reduced by 75%, rounded down by 5-point increments (if it previously shed light out to only 15 feet or less, then it now sheds no light) 8-9: Flame becomes Black Flame; sheds 1d4 cold damage instead of warmth, and sheds no light. 10: Flame becomes Black Flame; sheds 1d6 cold damage instead of warmth, and sheds magical or non-magical Darkness out to the same radius of its former illumination. Note: Whether or not the cold damage and darkness are magical depend on the properties of the fire prior to the transformation; only magical fires inflict magical cold and darkness. --Dry Ice (Core Ice, Mountain of Ultimate Winter) (Ex) In some areas of True Cold, air freezes to become dry ice. In such areas, this functions just like regular ice, except that it sublimates into air when melted. Breathe Earth is required in order to survive in it, just like with normal ice. Notes: 1. The entire True Cold zone of the Mountain of Ultimate Winter is under this effect. The Immoth and other creatures living on the mountain live under the layer of Dry Ice, which is atop a layer of regular ice mixed with various forms of eternal ice. 2. Cryonax's cold aura does not produce this effect, for whatever reason. --Frozen Light (Ice) (Ex or Su) In areas of True Cold, even light 'freezes'. To be more specific, light is suspended. This affects all illumination, spells with the Light descriptor, and ray spells. A DC Fort 20 saving throw must be made for objects, while casters must make a DC 20 Spellcraft check. Failure indicates that the light does not spread beyond 5 feet within the area of True Cold. Indigenous natives to Ice need not worry about making this check when casting ray spells with the Cold descriptor, such as Polar Ray. (Yikes, this is going to make Cryonax tougher than I thought, as I wrote that his cold aura is an area of True Cold...) If the area of True Cold is the result of a magic item, creature, or spell, then the caster must make an opposed spellcraft check. Ice